Education, religiosity, and secularisation: a meta-analysis from Türkiye

This meta-analysis synthesises evidence from 22 theses conducted in Türkiye (N ≈ 10,753) to examine the relationship between educational attainment and religiosity. Using a random-effects model, the pooled effect size was Hedges’ g = 0.384 (Z = 6.713, p < .001), indicating that individuals with lower levels of education reported higher levels of religiosity. Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 77.4%) justified moderator analysis. The type of religiosity scale significantly moderated the relationship: behavioural and multidimensional scales yielded stronger effects, whereas attitudinal-cognitive measures produced weaker and statistically non-significant results. Motivational-intrinsic religiosity showed a moderate, significant association with education. Overall, the findings suggest that the education–religiosity relationship differs across dimensions of religiosity. More specifically, differences in religiosity by educational level were mainly evident in observable religious practices, while the attitudinal-cognitive dimensions of religiosity showed no statistically significant association with education.